UNIVERSITY OFCALIFORNIASANTA CRUZ

2018/2019ADMISSIONGUIDE

International First-Year Students

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Eight PulitzEr PrizEs

In 2016, alumni Martha Mendoza (independent major, journalism and education, ’88) and William Finnegan (English literature, ’74) both won Pulitzer Prizes; Mendoza’s reporting resulted in the freeing of 2,000 slave workers in Thailand. Mendoza is a two-time Pulitzer winner, as is alumna Dana Priest. Other Pulitzer-winning alumni include Hector Tobar, Laurie Garrett, and Annie Wells.

Join a Global Leader in Education & ResearchPart of the renowned university of

California system that includes uC

Berkeley and uClA, uC santa Cruz

is known for the worldwide impact

of its research and teaching and

its commitment to undergraduate

education.

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William FinneganMartha Mendoza

ACAdEMiC OPPOrtunitiEs• A wide variety of majors and intensive programs of study

• Opportunities for undergraduate research in cutting-edge fields in the Arts, Engineering, Humanities, Physical and Biological Sciences, and Social Sciences ugr.ue.ucsc.edu

• Field study and internships in nearby Silicon Valley and Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary

• International and national honors societies such as Phi Beta Kappa and the Golden Key International Honour Society

• UCSC College Scholars Program honors.ucsc.edu

WOrldWidE rECOgnitiOn

• 1st in the nation for Hispanic

students (2014, BestColleges.com)

• 2nd highest-ranked best-value

public university in the U.S. (2015, U.S. News and World Report)

• 4th in the world in research

influence (2016, Times Higher

Education World University Rankings)

• One of the top greenest schools

in the U.S. (Princeton Review, 2016)

ucsc.edu/about/achievements

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Lick Observatory

UC Santa CruzCampus

San Jose

SantaClara

Watsonville

Marina Salinas

Gilroy

Monterey

Carmel

SanFrancisco

Oakland

OaklandInternationalAirport

San FranciscoInternationalAirport

Santa Cruz

San Jose International Airport

Monterey Regional Airport

miles

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Monterey BayAquarium

UCSC University-Affiliated Research

Center at NASA Ames

UC Santa Cruz Silicon Valley Campus

UCSCMontereyBay Education, Science, and Technology Center

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880

580

680

237

92

84

87

17

85

130

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101

152

156

129

1

580280

101

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CA

LI F

OR

NI A

San Francisco

Santa Cruz

Los Angeles

YOSEMITENATIONAL

PARK

MOJAVEDESERT

REDWOODNATIONAL

PARK

San JoseSILICONVALLEY

Sacramento

Monterey

• A spectacular campus featuring redwood forests, panoramic views of the Monterey Bay, and open meadows

• The nearest UC campus to Silicon Valley, a worldwide center of technological innovation

• 1.5 hours by car from San Francisco and less than an hour’s drive from San Jose International Airport; about 1 mile from the ocean

• Next to the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, with unique opportunities to study marine life in diverse ecosystems such as kelp forests

• 300 sunny days a year (according to Santa Cruz County officials)

CAliFOrniA: thE gOldEn stAtE

• Most populous state in the U.S., 6th largest economy in the world, over 17 million international visitors in 2016 (according to the California State Government)

• Home to San Francisco, Los Angeles, Hollywood, Disneyland, and other famous places

AdVAntAgEs tO uC sAntA Cruz lOCAtiOnA Location

Like No Otherrarely will you find a location as inspiring as

santa Cruz, where opportunities and convenience

are combined with magnificent natural beauty.

For a virtual tour of uCsC with panoramic

photos, see admissions.ucsc.edu/#virtualtour

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students can choose from 66 majors, 37 minors, and 48

academic concentrations in the Arts, humanities, Engineering,

Physical and Biological sciences, and social sciences. First-

year students can apply as “undeclared/undecided” and

determine their major later as uCsC students.

Academic Life at UCSC

undErgrAduAtE MAjOrs (in BOld) & MinOrs (academic concentrations listed below the major)

Majors with corresponding minors indicated with an asterisk (*). Other minors include:

Applied Mathematics AstrophysicsDanceEast Asian StudiesEducation Electronic Music Global Information

and Social Enterprise Studies

History of ConsciousnessJazz Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education

StatisticsSustainability Studies

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Anthropology*†

Applied linguistics and Multilingualism

Applied PhysicsArt†

Art and design: games and Playable Media

Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Biology*Business Management

Economics†

Chemistry* Biochemistry Environmental ChemistryClassical studies*Cognitive scienceCommunity studiesCritical race and Ethnic

studiesEarth sciences* Environmental Geology Ocean Sciences Planetary SciencesEarth sciences/

AnthropologyEcology and EvolutionEconomics*Economics/MathematicsEnvironmental studies†

Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems

Environmental studies/Biology

Environmental studies/ Earth sciences

legal studies*†

linguistics*literature*†

Creative Writing French Literature General Literature German Literature Greek and Latin

Literatures Italian Literature Spanish/Latin American/

Latino LiteraturesMarine BiologyMathematics* Computational Mathematics Mathematics Education Pure MathematicsMolecular, Cell, and

developmental BiologyMusic*neurosciencePhilosophy*†

Physics*Physics (Astrophysics)Plant sciencesPolitics*†

Psychology†

science Educationsociology†

spanish studies Languages and Linguistics Literature and Culturetheater Arts* Dance Design and Technology Drama

Environmental studies/Economics

Feminist studies Culture, Power, and

Representation Law, Politics, and Social Change Science, Technology, and

Medicine Sexuality StudiesFilm and digital Media*†

Critical Studies Integrated Critical Practice Productiongerman studiesglobal Economicshistory*†

Americas and Africa Asia and the Islamic World Europehistory of Art and Visual

Culture* Religion and Visual Culturehuman Biologyitalian studies*jewish studies*language studies* Chinese French German Italian Japanese Spanishlatin American and latino

studies*latin American and latino

studies/Politicslatin American and latino

studies/sociology

jACK BAsKin sChOOl OF EnginEEringBioengineering Assistive Technology: Motor Bioelectronics Biomolecular

Bioinformatics*Computer Engineering* Computer Systems Digital Hardware Networks Robotics and Control Systems Programming

Computer science*Computer science:

Computer game designElectrical Engineering* Communications, Signals,

Systems, and Controls Electronics/Optics

network and digital technology

robotics Engineeringtechnology and information

Management*

†Three-year pathway offered in several majors: advising.ucsc.edu/success/3-year-pathways

undErgrAduAtE PrOgrAMs: admissions.ucsc.edu/majors grAduAtE studiEs: graddiv.ucsc.edu

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• 2 years of history/social science (in place of U.S. History, history of your country)

• 4 years of composition and literature in language in which you are instructed

• 3 years of math including geometry and advanced algebra

• 2 years of laboratory science (1 biological/1 physical)

• 2 years of a second language• 1 yearlong course of visual and

performing arts• 1 additional course from any

subject areas above

The admission and selection process for freshmen to UC Santa Cruz reflects the academic rigor and preparation needed for admission to a major research institution.

Minimum Qualifications for the university of California

UC has slightly different admission requirements for international students. For freshman admission, you must:

1. Complete 15 year-long academic courses with a 3.4 gPA:

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• Educational Opportunities in California High Schools

• Performance in Academic Subject Areas

• Achievements in Special Projects• Improvement in Academic

Performance• Special Talents, Achievements,

and Awards• Participation in Educational

Preparation Programs• Academic Accomplishment

within Life Experiences• Geographic Location

English Proficiency requirement

If you attend a school in a country where English is not the native language, or if English is not the language of instruction at your school, you will need to show

2. Meet other requirements specific to your country

3. Complete the ACt Plus Writing examination or the sAt with Essay examination no later than december of your senior year. (sAt exams taken prior to March 2016 will be accepted.)

In addition, students with very high test scores may qualify by their examination scores alone.

You can find more detailed information by visiting admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/freshman and admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/freshman.html.

selection by uC santa Cruz

As a selective campus, UC Santa Cruz is unable to offer admission to all UC-qualified applicants. UCSC offers admission to freshman applicants according to the selection policy described on admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/freshman.html. Professionally-trained Admissions readers conduct an in-depth review of your academic and personal achievements. The 14 factors we consider are:• Grade-Point Average (GPA)• Test Scores• Courses Completed/Planned• Honors Courses• Eligibility in the Local Context• Quality of Senior-Year Program

of Study

proficiency in English. Minimum IELTS score: 6.5; minimum TOEFL scores: 80 for Internet-based and 550 for paper-based. You can also satisfy the English proficiency requirement through the SAT/ACT/IB Examinations. If you come from a bilingual school, you must also meet the English Proficiency Requirement.

admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/international-students/english-proficiency.html

Admission & SelectionuC sAntA Cruz AdMissiOns inFOrMAtiOn FOr FrOsh FrOM OutsidE thE u.s.

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Applying for Admissionuniversityofcalifornia.edu/apply

Application available: August 1, 2017

Application filing period: november 1-30, 2017

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Student Life at UCSC

ChiA-hAO AndrEW ChAngMAjOr: Plant ScienceshOMEtOWn: Taiwan/Shanghaihigh sChOOl: St. Georges

Come live and learn with

us in a rigorous, yet caring

academic environment that

supports your success!

gEt inVOlVEd in Our 150+ studEnt OrgAnizAtiOns, suCh As:

MEEt sOME OF Our intErnAtiOnAl studEnts!

WEnxuE zhEngMAjOr: Business Management Economics, MathematicshOMEtOWn: Fuzhou, Chinahigh sChOOl: Fuzhou No. 3 High School

ruOyAn WAngMAjOr: Physics (Astrophysics)hOMEtOWn: Zhengzhou, Henan Province, Chinahigh sChOOl: Henan Experimental High School

rAVijA AMlAniMAjOr: Business Management EconomicshOMEtOWn: Ahmedabad, India

high sChOOl: St. Kabir School

“i was surprised by how aware the students here are about all sorts of social justice issues and environmental problems we face. uCsC has shown me a new side of our society that i never paid much attention to.”

“All my professors are clear and helpful. they treat you like friends and make you feel quite comfortable. some of them are hard, but i promise you will receive much more than you expect.”

“Before coming here, i was a quiet and shy girl who believed that the only thing i needed to do in university was study. But when i met so many cool people at uCsC and got involved in some clubs and organizations, my life became much more colorful, and i am becoming closer to our society. i am becoming a better me.”

admissions.sa.ucsc.edu/studentprofile

“the Economics department regularly has seminars and guest speaker events, which i thoroughly enjoy. My advisors have been a huge help to me, and have aided my efforts to graduate early. i have also had the opportunity to work with one of my professors in a research lab on campus, the income dynamics lab!”

admissions.ucsc.edu/why-ucsc/organizations.html

American Medical Student Association (AMSA)

Centro Americanos UnidosChinese Student AssociationEducation for Sustainable Living

Program (ESLP)Everett Program (formerly Global

Information Internship Program)Filipino Student AssociationIndian Student Association (ISA)

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)

International Student Organization (ISO)Japanese Student Association (JSA) Model United Nations, SLUGMUNMuslim Student Association (MSA)Student Environmental Center (SEC)Taiwanese Student AssociationUniversity Economics Association (UEA) Vietnamese Student Association (VSA)

studEnt rEsOurCE CEntErsResource Centers provide students with social and academic support through campus and community programming.

resourcecenters.ucsc.edu

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housing & Campus life• A residential-college affiliation at one of the 10 UCSC

colleges, providing smaller communities of living and learning, advising, and a writing-intensive core seminar

• A four-year campus housing guarantee for international freshmen—you will have a room waiting for you when you arrive on campus each fall

support• International Student & Scholar

Services (ISSS), providing visa support, advising, special programs, and social events for international students

• Opportunities for academic support, such as advising, tutoring, and Modified Supplemental Instruction

isss.ucsc.edu

health & safety• A commitment to campus safety,

with police and fire stations right on campus

• The Student Health Center on campus, providing medical, counseling, and psychological services

admissions.ucsc.edu/apply/parents-and-guardians/prospective-students/health-safety.html

• Global Start international orientation before classes start in the fall (airport pickups available)

• summer Academy: Get a head start on your degree, save money, and learn the campus before fall.

summer.ucsc.edu

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Highlights for International Frosh

housing.ucsc.edu

Sports & Recreation• intercollegiate athletics and

a world-famous recreation program

• nCAA division iii teams in men’s/women’s basketball, cross-country, soccer, swimming/diving, tennis, track and field, and volleyball; women’s golf.

opers.ucsc.edu

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AdMissiOn FACts

number of countries represented by fall 2017 applicants: 104

u.s. states represented by fall 2017 applicants: 50, plus Washington, D.C., Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and Samoa

2017 admission rate for frosh: 51.4%

undergraduate EthnicitiesUC Santa Cruz seeks to enroll and graduate a student body of diverse cultural, racial, geographical, and socioeconomic backgrounds. In fall 2016, the primary ethnicities of undergraduates were African American, 4.1%; Native American, 0.9%; Asian American/Pacific Islander, 27.6%; Chicano/Latino, 29.1%; Euro-American, 32.0%; international, 4.5%; not stated, 1.8%.

new international frosh top home countries, fall 2016BrazilCanadaChileFranceHong KongIndiaJapanPeople’s Republic of ChinaPhilippinesRepublic of Korea

ACtsAt (March 2016 or later)

sAt (prior to March 2016)

27 or higher: 68.9% 1400 or higher: 17.6% 1800 or higher: 68.6%

22-26: 25.5% 1100-1399: 74.2% 1500-1799: 26.3%

21 or lower: 5.6% 1099 or lower: 8.2% 1499 or lower: 5.1%

Comp.*: 28.4 Total*: 1278.2 Total*: 1910.3

Engl. w/Writing*: 27.9 Read./Writ.*: 630.4 Crit. Reading*: 619.5

Reading*: 28.6 Math*: 653.5 Math*: 667.0

Math*: 28.5 Essay*: 16.55 Writing*: 635.7

*mean

EnrOllMEnt FACts• Total enrollment for

fall 2016: 18,783

16,962 undergraduates

1,821 graduate students

• Undergraduates: 50.9% women; 48.3% men; 0.8% unknown/ other

4.0 or higher GPA: 44.2%3.49 or lower GPA: 9.8%

Admitted frosh fall 2017 profile(percentages of all admits whose scores fell in the ranges below)

3.5 to 3.99 GPA: 46.0%Mean GPA: 3.89

student/faculty ratio: 19 to 1

Class size: 63% of under-graduate courses have fewer than 30 students; 75% have fewer than 50.

undergraduate research: over 70% of undergraduates conduct research during their UCSC careers.

UC Santa Cruz Facts & Figures

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EstiMAtEd undErgrAduAtE ExPEnsEs 2017-2018* ON CAMPUS OFF CAMPUS

Tuition and Fees (estimated)* $14,025 $14,025

Food and Housing 16,056 12,198

Books and Supplies 1,152 1,152

Transportation 504 948

Personal Expenses 1,545 1,476

Campus Health Insurance** 2,877 2,877

CA resident totals $36,159 $32,676

Non-Resident Tuition 28,014 28,014

non-resident totals $64,173 $60,690

*Tuition and fees are subject to change. For updated information, see financialaid.ucsc.edu/costs/index.html

**Campus health insurance is mandatory. The campus medical health insurance charge will be waived for students who provide proof of insurance.

Please note that UCSC Summer Session does not charge non-resident tuition.

uCsC’s undergraduate dean’s scholarships and Awards range from $12,000 to $40,000,

distributed over four years and applied to non-resident tuition. these scholarships and awards are

only available to admitted non-resident students, based primarily on their academic achievement.

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Investing in a UCSC Education

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admissions.ucsc.edu PrOduCEd By: uCsC OFFiCE OF AdMissiOns 8/17 (25M)

1156 high street santa Cruz, CA 95064 usAinternationaladmissions@ucsc.eduadmissions@ucsc.edu 831.459.4008

international Admissions admissions.ucsc.edu/ apply/international-students

international student and scholar services isss.ucsc.edu

lEArn MOrE ABOut uC sAntA Cruz

slug COnnECtiOnSign up for the slug Connection, your personalized online connection to UC Santa Cruz Admissions! admissions.ucsc.edu/prospect

KEEP in tOuChfacebook.com/uCsCAdmissions

twitter.com/ucsc_admission

instagram.com/ucscadmissionsVirtuAl tOur

admissions.ucsc.edu/ #virtualtour

VisitCampus tours admissions.ucsc.edu/campustours

sOME WEll-KnOWn AluMni

nwadiuto (“dt”) Amajoyi (Psychology, ‘13), pursuing an international law degree in London, recently attended the European Court of Justice.

Matt Pecenco (Computational Mathematics and Economics, ‘11), Ph.D. student in Agricultural and Resource Economics, UC Berkeley.

After GraduationrECEnt AluMni & thEir CurrEnt ACtiVitiEs

robin toma (Sociology & Economics, ‘82), lawyer and executive director of the LA County Human Relations Commission. Instrumental role in a lawsuit and campaign for redress for more than 2,200 former Japanese Latin American internees.

susan Wojcicki (M.S. Economics, ’93), first marketing manager of Google, now CEO of YouTube, called “the most powerful woman on the Internet” by Time Magazine.